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Md Rafique - PeerSpot reviewer
it support at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Sep 12, 2026
Strong multi-factor access has improved remote security and provides consistent user protection
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco Duo has positively impacted our organization by improving our overall access security by adding an extra layer of protection beyond passwords."
  • "Cisco Duo is generally easy to use, but there are a few areas where it could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

My main use case for Cisco Duo is to address the issue of MFA and secure access for users, particularly protecting remote access and cloud applications from unauthorized access.

A specific example of how I use Cisco Duo in my daily work is that we use it mainly to add an extra layer of security for remote access and cloud applications. A typical scenario is when a user tries to access a protected application or remote resource from outside the corporate network, Duo verifies their identity through MFA after the initial username and password. This helps ensure that even if a password is compromised, an unauthorized person cannot easily access company resources. We also use the MFA prompt and access control to improve our overall security for remote users.

The main use case of Cisco Duo we use is that it provides an extra layer of protection for remote users without significantly changing their normal login experience. I primarily value it for strengthening MFA, reducing the risk of compromised credentials, and improving security when users access a cloud application or company resources remotely.

What is most valuable?

The specific features of Cisco Duo that stand out most to me are the strong multi-factor authentication, ease of use, and access control capabilities. Duo makes it straightforward for users to verify their identity while giving admins better control over who can access company resources. I also find the authentication visibility and security policies useful for managing remote and cloud-based access.

Another valuable feature I find in Cisco Duo is the balance between security and user convenience. Duo provides strong MFA and access control while keeping the authentication experience simple for end users. The visibility and policy options also make it easier to monitor access and respond to potential security issues.

Cisco Duo has positively impacted our organization by improving our overall access security by adding an extra layer of protection beyond passwords. MFA helps reduce the risk of unauthorized access from compromised credentials, especially for remote users. It has also made it easier for admins to apply consistent authentication policies while keeping the login experience relatively simple for users.

What needs improvement?

Cisco Duo is generally easy to use, but there are a few areas where it could be improved. The initial setup and configuration can require some technical knowledge, especially when integrating Duo with multiple applications and different authentication methods. The administrative interface could also be more intuitive with simpler navigation and more detailed reporting and analytics in a single place. It would be helpful to have more customization and options for MFA policies and user notifications, particularly for organizations with large and diverse remote workforces. Another improvement would be making troubleshooting easier for admins by providing clearer error messages and more detailed guidance when authentication or integration issues occur. Overall, Duo is a strong solution, but improvements in admin, reporting, and troubleshooting could make it even better.

One of the main challenges I have faced with Cisco Duo is that troubleshooting can sometimes take time when there are issues with integrations, authentication methods, or user devices. It would be helpful if Duo provided more detailed troubleshooting information and clearer recommendations directly within the admin console. For larger environments, managing policies across different applications and user groups can also become more complex. Better centralized reporting, easier policy management, and more granular customizations would make the platform easier to manage. Overall, these are relatively minor challenges compared with the security benefits Duo provides, but improving the administrative and troubleshooting experience would make the solution even more effective.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Duo for about six months.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Duo is a stable platform and reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Duo is highly scalable and can support organizations as they grow without requiring major changes to the underlying infrastructure.

How are customer service and support?

Like any other support team, there are certain things that they can improve. One area that could be improved is response time for more complicated technical cases. It would also be helpful to have more detailed troubleshooting guidance for integration-specific issues so administrators can resolve common problems without always needing to contact support. The support is reliable, and the combination of documentation, self-service resources, and technical support provides a good experience.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before Cisco Duo, our authentication environment relied more heavily on traditional username and password authentication and existing MFA capabilities. We moved towards Duo because we wanted a more consistent and security-focused MFA solution for remote users and cloud applications. Our main reasons were strong protection against compromised credentials, easier centralized administration, better visibility into authentication activity, and support for a broader range of access scenarios. Duo also provided a relatively straightforward user experience, which made it easier to encourage adoption of stronger authentication practices.

What was our ROI?

We have seen a positive return on investment mainly through improved security and reduced risk rather than through specific measured cost savings. Cisco Duo helps reduce the likelihood of account compromise by adding MFA, which can potentially prevent the much higher costs associated with security incidents. It has also helped streamline authentication and access management. Having a consistent MFA process makes it easier for the IT team to support users and troubleshoot authentication issues. While we have not calculated a specific dollar amount or percentage reduction in support tickets, the main ROI for us is the combination of strong account security, better control over remote access, and a more manageable authentication process.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Cisco Duo indicates that the main setup cost for us has been the time and effort required to integrate Duo with existing applications, authentication systems, and remote access solutions. However, once the integration and policies are configured, ongoing administration is fairly manageable. From a cost perspective, I recommend evaluating the required features and user count carefully before selecting a plan. For us, the security benefits of strong authentication and improved access control make the investment worthwhile, particularly when compared with the potential impact of an account compromise.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We considered other MFA and identity security solutions before choosing Cisco Duo. The main alternatives were solutions from established IAM and security vendors that offer MFA, conditional access, and remote access protection. Our evaluation focused on security capabilities and ease of deployment and user experience, integration with existing applications, administrative controls, and overall licensing cost. Duo stood out because of its strong MFA capabilities, a relatively simple user experience, broad integration options, and centralized administration. These factors made it a good fit for our security, remote, and cloud-based access.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Cisco Duo an eight out of ten. It offers strong MFA, good ease of use, and solid access control with some room for improvement in administration and reporting.

I chose eight out of ten because there is room for improvements, primarily in administration, reporting, and troubleshooting. These are the few areas where it can improve.

Regarding Cisco Duo's AI capabilities, I think it takes a security-focused approach to its AI features. From a governance perspective, the AI features operate within clearly defined access control and security policies, particularly when dealing with identity and authentication data. I value transparency around how AI features use data, what information it retains, and how administration can control or configure those capabilities. Strong privacy protections, access control, auditing, and clearer governance policies are important for building confidence in AI within an enterprise security environment. Overall, I see AI as a useful addition to Duo, but security, privacy, transparency, and administrative control should remain the priority.

I find that Cisco Duo's AI capabilities appear useful for improving security visibility and helping administrators identify and understand potential security issues. The output is generally helpful when used as an additional source of information rather than the sole basis for security decisions. One area that could be improved is providing more context behind AI-generated recommendations, including why a particular conclusion was reached and what data contributed to it. Clearer explanations and context would make the output easier for security teams to use. I consider the AI capabilities a useful part of the solution, and this can inform security decisions.

Cisco Duo is deployed in our organization primarily as a public cloud SaaS solution. This makes it convenient to protect users accessing cloud applications and remote resources without requiring us to maintain a separate on-premises MFA infrastructure. The deployment model also makes it straightforward to scale the number of users and applications as we grow. We can manage authentication policies centrally while enabling users to authenticate securely from different locations and devices.

We use Cisco Duo as a Cisco-hosted SaaS solution, so we do not directly select or manage the underlying cloud provider. The service is hosted and managed by Cisco, while we manage our Duo configuration, user authentication policies, and integrations.

I have not used Duo's conversational AI interface extensively for administration tasks yet, but my experience has primarily been with the core MFA, access policies, and administrative features. However, I see that a conversational AI interface could be useful for quickly finding configuration options, underlying authentication issues, and guiding administrators through troubleshooting steps. I view it as useful assistance while still validating any recommended configuration changes before applying them.

We have not extensively used the Advanced Identity Threat Detection and response capabilities in Cisco Duo, so I would not want to overstate our experience with the feature. Our primary focus has been on MFA, access control, and securing remote and cloud application access. However, the capabilities are valuable from a threat management perspective because detecting risky identity behavior can help security teams identify suspicious authentication activity earlier and prioritize potential threats to take appropriate action before compromised credentials result in unauthorized access.

I evaluate the benefit of having a complete passwordless environment in my organization as providing significant security benefits because it reduces the risks associated with weak, reused, or compromised passwords. It can also improve the user experience by reducing password resets and making authentication simpler with methods such as security keys or biometrics. The main challenges involve adoption compatibility. Some legacy applications may still depend on passwords, and users may need time to become comfortable with the new authentication methods. There also needs to be a reliable recovery process for situations such as lost or replaced devices. Overall, I see passwordless authentication as a strong long-term direction, particularly with MFA, device trust, and risk-based access control. A gradual rollout is usually more practical than eliminating passwords immediately.

My experience with Cisco Duo's strong security authentication system has generally been straightforward and easy. Once the initial setup is completed, the MFA process adds only a small step to the normal login experience. The push notification and other authentication options make it convenient for users to verify their identity quickly. The main challenges can occur when a user changes or loses their phone, as connectivity issues or the need to re-enroll the device may arise. In those situations, administrator assistance may be required. Overall, the additional security provided by Duo is worth the small amount of extra effort during login.

Recently, our focus has mainly been on strengthening MFA and improving access control rather than rolling out completely new Duo features. We have been making better use of Duo's authentication policies and administrative visibility to improve how we manage remote and cloud-based access. These capabilities have helped us apply more consistent security controls, monitor authentication activity, and respond more effectively when users experience access or authentication issues. We are also interested in newer capabilities around risk-based authentication and identity threat detection as potential next steps for improving our security posture.

Our organization has taken a layered approach to become more resistant to phishing attacks. This includes strengthening MFA, educating users about suspicious emails and links, and enforcing stronger authentication policies and monitoring unusual login activity. We also encourage users to report suspicious messages and provide guidance on common phishing techniques. Cisco Duo contributes by adding an extra authentication layer beyond the username and password. Even if a user's credentials are compromised through phishing, MFA makes it more difficult for an attacker to gain access to protected application resources. Duo's authentication visibility and access policies help administrators identify suspicious behavior and strengthen controls for remote users.

My advice for others looking into using Cisco Duo would be to clearly define your MFA and access security requirements before choosing a Duo plan. Start with the applications and user groups that need the most protection, especially remote users and critical cloud applications, and then expand gradually. I would also recommend planning the user enrollment and device recovery process in advance. Good communication and user training can make adoption much smoother. During the evaluation, pay attention to not only the MFA features but also to the integration, policy management, administrative experience, and security. Cisco Duo is a strong choice for strengthening identity and security, making authentication less complicated for users.

It is a pretty good platform for authentication, reliable, and it can be a valuable security platform for your MFA needs. I rated Cisco Duo an eight out of ten overall.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Sep 12, 2026
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Manager, Information Technology at a mining and metals company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20Leaderboard
Jun 3, 2026
Mfa has strengthened server access control and provides clear insight into login activities
Pros and Cons
  • "Since implementing Cisco Duo, it has greatly improved our operational efficiency."
  • "I don't see Cisco Duo playing a significant role in managing agentic AI identities at this moment."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Cisco Duo especially because we have a lot of servers, and we need multi-factor authentication to securely access them. This is the primary use case for Cisco Duo. We have also integrated it with another security product from Cisco, Cisco ICE. So we integrate Cisco Duo and ICE together.

The benefits we gain from Cisco Duo are mainly for secure server access, particularly for those who are organizing server access. There are many authentication options available, but for server authentication, Cisco Duo helps us to create a distinct separation for the server team, especially for those who have RDP connections into the server. Normal username and password setups are enhanced with Cisco Duo's multi-factor authentication, which is a vital part of securing our server infrastructure.

Cisco Duo helps us in our efforts against phishing attacks, especially because it’s part of the Cisco ecosystem with Cisco ICE. Currently, Cisco is offering Cisco Secure Access, which is a cloud solution. Even if it's going to the cloud, we still need Cisco Duo for multi-factor authentication, so I believe Cisco Duo must be present even with Secure Access or ICE.

Since implementing Cisco Duo, it has greatly improved our operational efficiency. Previously, identifying who accessed the servers was time-consuming, taking days or months across various locations. Cisco Duo simplifies this process by providing direct insight into login issues, allowing administrators to pinpoint problems rather than just dealing with password resets.

What is most valuable?

I like Cisco Duo particularly because it's integrated with the other Cisco ecosystems. Cisco ICE, or something similar, allows for additional authentication checks when someone logs into Cisco Duo, confirming whether the user is legitimate. While Microsoft IDP provides features for multi-factor authentication, it doesn't offer the same comprehensive checks that Cisco Duo does. Cisco Duo can identify the user's location and currently offers features that were not available before.

Cisco Duo scales perfectly with our organization's needs. We have a substantial number of licenses, and it's easy to track user activity via the dashboard. Due to our enterprise agreement with Cisco, we automatically receive additional licensing as our usage increases.

The impact of removing Cisco Duo would definitely be significant, as it provides essential multi-factor authentication to log into our servers. Without Cisco Duo, if someone has a username and password, they could log directly into the server without additional security checks. With Cisco Duo, we confirm not only the user's ID but also their location. For instance, if someone is trying to access from China while we are in Europe, we could recognize the anomaly. If Cisco Duo is removed, we lose this vital layer of protection, leaving us exposed if someone knows our username and password.

What needs improvement?

Addressing agentic IAM with the rise of AI agents is quite complex. Many people now utilize agentic AI, and while I believe Cisco Duo’s multi-factor authentication adds a layer of security, I acknowledge that there are sophisticated attacks that could potentially target it. The fact that Cisco Duo encrypts connections and requires user presence enhances its security, but attackers could still try if they're on the same network.

I don't see Cisco Duo playing a significant role in managing agentic AI identities at this moment. Currently, in my experience, agentic AI does not integrate well with Cisco Duo, and while I hope Cisco will find solutions for this in the future, I don't believe that capability exists yet.

I believe Cisco Duo should integrate with Cisco Cloud Control. Given the wide array of security products Cisco offers, it would be beneficial to consolidate them into one dashboard. Having Cisco Duo integrated into Cloud Control would allow us to access all security functions seamlessly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Duo for the last five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In my experience, Cisco Duo has not caused any downtime or performance issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have indeed expanded our usage. We started with around four hundred users and have now grown to almost two thousand. The process was remarkably smooth, supported by our unique licensing system with Cisco, where we automatically gain additional licensing as needed.

How are customer service and support?

On a scale from one to ten for customer service and technical support, I would give Cisco Duo a perfect ten. I have had no issues requiring technical support, and the response has always been excellent.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before implementing Cisco Duo, I did not utilize another product that directly meets similar needs. Although some might suggest alternatives like Okta or Microsoft, I find that those solutions often focus specifically on end devices, whereas Cisco Duo extends its functionality beyond that.

How was the initial setup?

I find Cisco Duo to be an excellent product with a very straightforward deployment. It's easy to implement, taking little time compared to other security products. It's comparable to a module that can be set up within a day.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have trialed Microsoft Entra ID alongside Cisco Duo, but as I mentioned earlier, it does not meet the same broad aspects as Cisco Duo does.

I began with Microsoft Entra ID and am still utilizing it, but ultimately selected Cisco Duo for its superior offerings. Cisco Duo provides flexibility by allowing us to combine it alongside Entra ID, particularly beneficial for my server and network teams. We didn't evaluate alternatives because everything we rely on is within the Cisco ecosystem.

What other advice do I have?

Before implementing Cisco Duo, we were concerned about authentication hijacking, as we had an incident where someone managed to gain access to our server. They provided us with the username and password, suggesting they could access it at any time. After introducing Cisco Duo, we realized that while our existing firewall provided security, Cisco Duo significantly reduces the risk of authentication hijacking. Cisco Duo works even beyond on-premises solutions, enhancing security in cloud environments.

The key capabilities that led me to choose Cisco Duo extend beyond just multi-factor authentication. It serves as a module that communicates with ICE, enabling it to take actions when necessary. While Cisco's other security measures are robust, integrating Cisco Duo into our cloud systems is still a critical need.

I see Cisco Duo fitting into my broader security environment as an essential security layer rather than a control point. It functions mainly as a security layer to support Cisco’s extensive range of security products, which vary and might not fully integrate with all of them.

When evaluating my identity strategy, I wasn't looking for a standalone MFA tool; what I sought was a part of the broader Cisco security ecosystem. While I recognize Cisco Duo predominantly as a multi-factor authentication solution, it integrates with other security tools, making it valuable in accessing various services, though I haven't yet seen a connection between Cisco Duo and agentic AI.

I would tell other organizations that even if they have existing authentication systems, they should consider Cisco Duo. It works effectively across various environments and isn't limited to operating system-based access. I would rate Cisco Duo eight out of ten, and its comprehensive capabilities are a significant advantage.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Jun 3, 2026
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September 2026
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Chief Information Officer at Revity Credit Union
Video Review
Real User
Top 10
Jun 2, 2026
Layered protection has strengthened login security and has improved peace of mind for staff
Pros and Cons
  • "The biggest overall impact of Cisco Duo on our company has been the peace of mind it provides, helping us sleep a little more soundly at night knowing that we have that layer there, and operationally, it has fostered more trust when it comes to logging into systems."
  • "Cisco Duo could definitely be improved, particularly regarding some of the reporting it does, as it currently lacks detail; for example, we had an issue where someone was getting prompted multiple times, but the console only detected it that one time."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use Cisco Duo as another layer of security to protect our logins for our desktop, our VPN, and our Office 365 instance.

What is most valuable?

My favorite parts of Cisco Duo are the fact that it can integrate with platforms very seamlessly; for our use cases, they have both a soft token and a hardware token, which is probably the biggest selling point for us.

These features of Cisco Duo help us a lot from the fact that our users are a mixed environment; we have both union staff and non-union staff, so we have to have special rules about how one operates versus how the other operates, and Cisco Duo gives us that flexibility to put more restrictions on one side and less on the other, giving one side another way of accessing it and the other a different way.

If Cisco Duo went away, we would probably be very scared because it has brought a lot of peace of mind to how our employees are logging into the systems, ensuring there's another big layer in between them and getting into their accounts that a bad actor wouldn't be able to get through.

We've spent a lot of effort in the financial space to try to protect both our employees and our member data and all of our financial services, and Cisco Duo contributes to that effort by being another layer of protection; we've put a lot of effort into training our employees and do a lot of phishing tests, something we do almost daily at this point.

We have been concerned about all forms of phishing or credential-based attacks before implementing Cisco Duo, from credential phishing to social engineering; Cisco Duo is another layer in that whole piece, putting up another red flag for our employees, so they can let us know if they get prompted that someone is trying to log into their account.

My ability to detect and respond to identity-based risks has changed since implementing Cisco Duo to be a more immediate response, allowing our employee getting the alert to immediately respond by saying 'No, this is not me,' so that we can act and take the necessary steps to stop it.

The biggest overall impact of Cisco Duo on our company has been the peace of mind it provides, helping us sleep a little more soundly at night knowing that we have that layer there, and operationally, it has fostered more trust when it comes to logging into systems.

What needs improvement?

Cisco Duo could definitely be improved, particularly regarding some of the reporting it does, as it currently lacks detail; for example, we had an issue where someone was getting prompted multiple times, but the console only detected it that one time.

Cisco Duo has improved the security side of things by adding that additional layer, although it probably slowed operations down a little since we have to enter a token every time we log in, but the peace of mind definitely outweighs the inconvenience.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Duo for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Duo has been very stable, with very few disruptions in the couple of years we've been on it, and when issues pop up, they are usually short-lived.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Truthfully, we haven't looked much into expanding Cisco Duo, as the few times we've attempted it were limited by third-party providers that brought their own MFA solutions.

How are customer service and support?

The customer service and support for Cisco Duo, when we've had to use it, is very good, although we haven't had to use it very often.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We weren't using another solution to address similar needs prior to adopting Cisco Duo, as it was our first foray into this area, and it's a good thing, so we're not looking at anything else.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment of Cisco Duo was very straightforward and easy, as we did a slower rollout increasing our team's comfort in using it across Active Directory, our VPN, and Office 365.

What was our ROI?

The biggest return on investment when using Cisco Duo is the peace of mind of it all, as everyone from the top executive level down to entry-level employees appreciates the security it provides.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't really have anything off the top of my mind regarding pricing; I would say it hasn't been inconvenient when it comes to pricing, as it was good enough for us to sign up for it.

What other advice do I have?

We weren't using another solution to address similar needs prior to adopting Cisco Duo, as it was our first foray into this area, and it's a good thing, so we're not looking at anything else.

I've been a proponent of Cisco for a long time, as I trust their products and know my team trusts their products, which is why I choose Cisco Security at the end of the day.

If I had to rate Cisco Duo, I would probably give it a 9 out of 10 because it's really good and close to perfect, but everything can be improved so I can't give it that coveted 10 out of 10. For other companies considering it, I would advise them to take a staged rollout approach for success. I would rate this review a 9 out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Jun 2, 2026
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Manager, Data Center at a real estate/law firm with 11-50 employees
Video Review
Real User
Top 10
Jun 2, 2026
Secure access has transformed identity management and now combats phishing with seamless MFA
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco Duo is the added security layer in our overall identity and access management environment; it's the cornerstone of identity for us."
  • "The only thing I would say that may lead to a more negative experience would be allowing the engineers to help the customers whether it is a twenty-minute call or a four-hour call."

What is our primary use case?

Our main use cases for Cisco Duo are single sign-on and MFA.

The main feature for single sign-on would be the ease of remote access VPN, which is real simple and straightforward.

Single sign-on benefits our company by providing ease of use to allow users to get into the system.

What is most valuable?

The feature I like the most about Cisco Duo is the single sign-on.

Cisco Duo is the added security layer in our overall identity and access management environment. It's the cornerstone of identity for us. If a user logs into AD and they need to multi-factor authenticate, Cisco Duo is the answer. For us, it's a foundational level cornerstone.

Cisco Duo has contributed to our efforts to become more resistant to phishing attacks by allowing us to adjust the settings to combat phishing attempts and attacks against the company, by allowing us to implement phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication.

What needs improvement?

Cisco Duo can be improved by integrating into TAC more.

We recently had an issue with an edge firewall. VPN was part of that, and part of our VPN is Cisco Duo. If an edge firewall use case goes down and support needs to be called in for the firewall, we're going to call Cisco TAC. For Cisco Duo, we actually have to contact a separate support to get the same level of engineering support.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cisco Duo for roughly five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

For us, there have been no downtime that we have really experienced. We have seen the notifications of service impact, but for us, our users have not experienced any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For us, the scaling has not really been needed. Our implementation has been effectively the entire organization, and we have not really had to scale much past that for right now.

How are customer service and support?

The customer service and support have been fine. The only thing I would say that may lead to a more negative experience would be allowing the engineers to help the customers whether it is a twenty-minute call or a four-hour call.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

For us, there was no MFA before Cisco Duo. Now with Cisco Duo, we have MFA corporate-wide.

Before Cisco Duo, we were not using anything to address similar needs.

How was the initial setup?

The overall deployment was straightforward and seamless. We set up the tenant, set up auth proxy on-premises, and once everything syncs, we made sure the application was installed if we were using Windows desktop for authentication. If we were going to do SAML, we made sure that portion was set up for our remote access. We really did not have any issues. We were very fortunate.

What was our ROI?

I think the improvement has been in security operations on the identity side. Cisco Duo has achieved this because of the ease of use for multi-factor authentication for the user. Whether using a product like AnyConnect and using the desktop authentication to send either a passcode or a push, that is what really helped it out. It streamlined the process. It makes it easy. It just works. Set up a few things, and it is done. That has been the biggest impact. For us, that is the biggest ROI for this product.

The biggest return on investment was the ease of use for the end users to have that secondary authentication when logging into the critical systems.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

My experience with the pricing, the setup cost, and the licensing of Cisco Duo has been straightforward. The licensing has been straightforward for the whole process. The process was: What do you guys need? Where are you guys looking at? Is the base level enough? Do you want advantage? Are those the features that you want? Or do you want the actual premier plan? For us, it was advantage.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We were evaluating products or starting that conversation to evaluate products. For us, we had a situation where we had to move a little bit more quickly. Since we were already a Cisco shop, that was the first place we looked was Cisco.

We choose Cisco security because of the umbrella coverage over the entire infrastructure. As times have changed with security, you may have one product that is network observability and you have to go into one portal. Then you go into another portal for server logs, another portal for identity, and another portal for something else. Having something that consolidates all of these portals is a plus for us.

What other advice do I have?

The biggest impact for our company if Cisco Duo were removed today would be a loss of MFA.

The biggest impact would be the loss of that multi-factor authentication and the ease of use of multi-factor authentication for the company.

It has changed our ability to detect and respond to identity-based risks because of the observability that Cisco Duo provides. We get to see all of those logs, all the authentication logs. If we see all of the extra users that are getting hit, then we can act accordingly. This information comes from the GUI on Cisco Duo. If we actually go to the proxy auth logs, then we even get further detailed information on those attempts.

Our biggest impact from Cisco Duo is probably the security side. Being able to implement that multi-factor authentication. User experience is going to be an ongoing journey with everybody. As we continue on, it becomes easier for MFA. But for companies that are slow to implement MFA, the culture can be slow to adopt.

Our primary objective was multi-factor authentication on the identity side. As soon as we sync AD, it allows us to immediately have that MFA for each user.

Cisco Duo is much broader than just an MFA product. What we use it for in our use case at the time we implemented it was primarily for MFA.

Cisco Duo is much more than an MFA product because of the applications you can integrate and single sign-on. If you have any other applications that you want to single sign on, you can set that up either as its own identity provider or through the applications in Cisco Duo portal.

I would rate Cisco Duo at least an eight out of ten. My advice would be if you want something straightforward and simple for an MFA solution, choose Cisco Duo as it has simple installation, is quick, and just works.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Jun 2, 2026
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Senior Systems & Network Engineer at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 10
Jun 1, 2026
Secure remote access has strengthened our VPN and RDP authentication against phishing
Pros and Cons
  • "I would say Cisco Duo improved our authentication with that extra layer of security and the usability for our end users."

    What is our primary use case?

    Our current main use cases for Cisco Duo at our company are for VPN and Microsoft RDP.

    Cisco Duo plays a significant part in our VPN access because it implements with ICE and gives us an extra layer of security. To access our network, we use ICE incorporated with Cisco Duo and an NPS server, and that connection is how we access our network. The extra step provides an additional layer of security along with Active Directory.

    We had ICE, and Cisco Duo implemented with that very well, so that played a part in what we chose. We run pretty much full Cisco security products.

    Our company is small, so when we first started, we purchased more licenses than we probably needed. Cisco Duo scaled well based on our setup and the number of licenses we had.

    I think there is a broader scope for Cisco Duo, but we haven't actually explored it. We just started implementing the RDP, the Microsoft RDP, where you basically have MFA for your server. I think there are many different things that they have to offer, but I haven't gotten to digging deeper into it.

    What is most valuable?

    I would say I appreciate the VPN access for the VPN portion because it's fairly easy to use and it gives our users direction on how to actually use it. If Cisco Duo were removed today, I think there would be a big learning curve for our end users, just having to incorporate a new system to learn. I think that would be the biggest thing for us.

    We have been implementing many different things to become more resistant to phishing attacks, and Cisco Duo has contributed to that effort as an extra step of security that has really helped there.

    I think social engineering is a big concern, but having that extra step for our end users to go through just makes it easier on me and our end users to prevent that.

    Cisco Duo has given us an extra layer of security. I know that many companies see attempts to access their VPNs, and Cisco Duo will provide that extra layer of security and stop some attacks.

    I would say Cisco Duo improved our authentication with that extra layer of security and the usability for our end users.

    I think the biggest return on investment when using Cisco Duo is having the extra layer of security. Having our end users go through a second step has been great.

    What needs improvement?

    I'm not entirely certain about areas for improvement. When we met our rep last week, they showed us a whole bunch of different things that I didn't know we had access to.

    I think there is a broader scope for Cisco Duo, but we haven't actually explored it.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I'm fairly certain we've had Cisco Duo since we started, so I can't say what the timeframe was.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    We haven't experienced any downtime with Cisco Duo. It has been reliable for us.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Our company is small, so when we first started, we purchased more licenses than we probably needed. Cisco Duo scaled well based on our setup and the number of licenses we had.

    How are customer service and support?

    I think the customer service of Cisco Duo has been very good. We have a rep, and we met with him last week. I feel they are very up to date and keep us informed on new products coming along.

    I would rank Cisco Duo's customer support and technical service as a 10 because anytime we've had an issue, they've been quick to respond. Cisco TAC has been very good to us.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    I don't think we considered other solutions other than Cisco Duo at our company. Our IT manager helped me pick this, so since we were already leaning towards Cisco, it just made sense to go with Cisco.

    How was the initial setup?

    The deployment process of Cisco Duo was very good. We set up a server for it, and they helped us walk through the setup. We had a proxy for it, and we configured it that way. They held our hand through the whole process.

    What about the implementation team?

    The setup was fairly good. We had someone from Cisco Duo help us set it up, which was very nice. They held our hand through the whole process.

    What was our ROI?

    I think the biggest return on investment when using Cisco Duo is having the extra layer of security. Having our end users go through a second step has been great.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The cost of Cisco Duo has been fairly good. The setup was fairly good as well. It was a pretty easy setup, and it's been smooth since we set it up.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    No other alternate solutions were considered.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rank Cisco Duo as a 10 because we haven't had any issues with it. It's worked well for us. It's fairly easy to use, and our end users appreciate it.

    I would recommend Cisco Duo personally, based on my experience and seeing the things it can do with the implementations that you can make with it. I would recommend it for sure. My overall rating for Cisco Duo is 10.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises

    If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

    Other
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    Last updated: Jun 1, 2026
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    Thatchapon Wongsri - PeerSpot reviewer
    Senior Network Engineer Specialist at Zenith Comp Co.,Ltd.
    Reseller
    Top 5
    Oct 22, 2025
    Has strengthened remote access by enforcing secure multifactor login across various applications
    Pros and Cons
    • "The biggest benefit of Cisco Duo for my customers is the license because they count licenses for the user—one user can use many applications integrated with Cisco Duo."
    • "Cisco Duo is stable, but occasionally there are emails about incidents that affect some services temporarily."

    What is our primary use case?

    I implemented Cisco Duo for my customer approximately one year ago. For the use case, we are using Cisco Duo with VPN connection. When the customer VPNs to their environment, before they can access the VPN, they need to do the MFA of Cisco Duo.

    What is most valuable?

    I find the MFA, multifactor authentication, and Universal Prompt most useful in Cisco Duo. This is a SAML connection. The trusted endpoint and Windows Logon, MFA with Windows Logon, and RDP connection are valuable features. Cisco Duo can be integrated with many third-party vendors and third-party applications.

    The main reason my customers started using Cisco Duo is because they need to have a multifactor authentication application to secure their application.

    The biggest benefit of Cisco Duo for my customers is the license because they count licenses for the user. One user can use any application. If we buy a 100 or 200 user license, one user can use many applications integrated with Cisco Duo.

    Passwordless is a good feature for customers to use Cisco Duo without prompting for the password. They can type the email address, and they can access their application continually and faster than before.

    The return on investment my customers see with Cisco Duo includes having the inventory of their mobile and computer. They have Cisco Duo to do the inventory for them, and the MFA helps protect their application.

    What needs improvement?

    There are no major issues to improve in Cisco Duo because it improves continuously. Cisco Duo has many features separated by license tiers: Essential, Advantage, and Premium. They could consider moving some features from the next license tier to the Essential license tier, such as the health check of endpoint feature.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working in my field for about six years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Cisco Duo is stable, but occasionally there are emails about incidents that affect some services temporarily. The downtime and issues typically occur during maintenance windows at night. When incidents occur, they are not critical issues and do not affect users' ability to use the system.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Cisco Duo scales easily with the growing needs of the organization. It integrates with their Active Directory, so when they have a new employee, Cisco Duo will automatically synchronize the user. The customer simply needs to buy more licenses to expand to 1,000 or 2,000 users.

    How are customer service and support?

    The support for Cisco Duo is excellent. I have opened one case, and they provide good support. I would rate their support 10 out of 10.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The price for Cisco Duo is reasonable. Their website lists $3 per month per user for the Essential license. For company or enterprise usage, the cost decreases below the website price.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    They tested Cisco Duo with SafeNet for comparison.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rate Cisco Duo 10 out of 10. Using Cisco Duo's strong security authentication system is straightforward to configure and use.

    Advanced Identity is in the next license tier. I am testing it in my company environment but not using it with any customers.

    I am currently testing Cisco Identity Intelligence capability to detect and respond to identity-based risks.

    Deploying Cisco Duo is not challenging. For the administrator, the deployment takes approximately one to two days. For customer employees to install the Duo desktop application on their computers, the time varies depending on the number of users. For 500 users, it takes approximately one month.

    I recommend Cisco Duo because the MFA can integrate with many applications. When customers purchase it, they can integrate it with many of their applications, making it valuable.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
    PeerSpot user
    Charles A - PeerSpot reviewer
    Deputy Director at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
    Real User
    Top 5Leaderboard
    Jun 10, 2026
    Strong multifactor security has reduced login issues and has improved user activity insight
    Pros and Cons
    • "The stability and good performance of the MFA are notable since it responds within seconds, and perhaps the algorithm is good when compared to other providers' MFA algorithms."
    • "The only issue is the price is too high when compared to other products; Cisco Duo's pricing is high."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are not using Cisco Duo for general purposes. Our requirements for a specific project show that we need Cisco Duo, which provides geo mapping and displays where the user will be putting the MFA and getting the MFA, so it will map the geolocation, everything.

    Using Cisco Duo, we do not get many calls, which we can attribute to this being a cloud-based service. We have tried some on-premises solutions, but when compared to this one, the performance is outstanding.

    We have used Cisco Duo only for MFA purposes, but I do not think they will implement AI features soon; perhaps it will come in the future.

    What is most valuable?

    Cisco Duo is our focus.

    It is a powerful tool; the only issue is the price is too high when compared to other MFA solutions.

    The stability and good performance of the MFA are notable since it responds within seconds, and perhaps the algorithm is good when compared to other providers' MFA algorithms.

    The reports and other information are very good because they will gather more insights about user activities.

    With MFA, it definitely identifies the user since it comes from the mobile.

    MFA is critical because without it, anybody can share their password and log in anytime. Tracking users becomes very difficult, especially regarding who has logged in. Now, they cannot share credentials as easily.

    What needs improvement?

    The problem is a user cannot remove Cisco Duo because they are not granted the privilege to do so; they need to use it. If they try to remove it, the application or service will not function because the MFA will not reach it.

    The only issue is the price is too high when compared to other products; Cisco Duo's pricing is high.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We implemented these solutions two to three years ago.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The only issue is the price is too high when compared to other products; Cisco Duo's pricing is high.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    On the technical side, Cisco Duo sounds solid.

    How are customer service and support?

    If we need a specific feature or application, we have an account manager from Cisco, and I can reach them directly.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    Since we are using the same product only, we have stopped using SolarWinds.

    Approximately three months ago, we started using Datadog.

    We are using Cisco Duo and ThousandEyes as well.

    How was the initial setup?

    Implementation and roll-out processes are simple; mostly the same across platforms.

    What about the implementation team?

    We have purchased directly through their official channels.

    What was our ROI?

    The technology is evolving, and we need to adopt the technology, otherwise we are outdated. This technology started now, and while it will not completely replace human efforts, it has reduced about 50% of the workload.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    When you compare products, Cisco Duo is costly; other products' prices are lower, but the stability of their products does not match that of Cisco Duo.

    Too many products are in the market.

    What other advice do I have?

    We are using some of the services; we have mapped Cisco Duo MFA, but not for all products.

    Not only Cisco Duo, but all products must develop their side to avoid becoming outdated; the technology landscape is evolving rapidly with new things. They should create new products and features to survive in the industry.

    AI-related technologies are more efficient now; reporting should be automated instead of requesting all these details manually. They should find and send reports to us.

    Without AI, no product will emerge in the future; all products will arise from AI technologies.

    That feature should be present in every product. My overall rating for this product is 8.8.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Hybrid Cloud

    If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    Last updated: Jun 10, 2026
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    Information Systems Security Analyst at a real estate/law firm with 11-50 employees
    Real User
    Top 10
    Jun 2, 2026
    Strong authentication has protected remote access and now secures everyday user logins
    Pros and Cons
    • "Looking back, the biggest impact Cisco Duo has had on our company is enhancing our security posture."
    • "I think Cisco Duo could improve the dashboard to make logging in and credential management more visible."

    What is our primary use case?

    Our main use case for Cisco Duo is the VPN, but we are actually moving into using it for the clients and all the endpoints, so they can log in with their device. Primarily, we are using it for the VPN right now.

    Cisco Duo offers broader capabilities beyond just MFA. While we utilize it primarily for multi-factor authentication, there are many more features available. Being in security allows me to see how it helps monitor login activity and identify issues more effectively.

    What is most valuable?

    The feature that I like the most about Cisco Duo is the multi-factor authentication, which we are currently configuring with all the phones, not the Cisco phones, but the Android cellphones.

    The multi-factor authentication feature is valuable because many people are actually signing in without knowing who is signing in, or they are not worrying about the security side of the device. They need to be well aware of logging into their device as a second authentication, and it is another authorization for them to make sure that they are logging in as themselves.

    The biggest impact if Cisco Duo were gone from our company would be the security side of the whole company, as Cisco Duo provides essential security for all those people to log in. This would significantly impact how we secure our devices with their credentials.

    My ability to detect and respond to identity-based risks, such as compromised credentials or suspicious login activity, has changed significantly since implementing Cisco Duo. We can see everything, including people logging in and utilize geolocation to block specific locations, which helps us track unauthorized attempts to log in.

    Cisco Duo has definitely helped reduce costs and improve efficiency at our company, especially in security operations. I see a significant impact in traffic monitoring as we previously faced ransomware attacks. Now with Cisco Duo, we can block unauthorized access, making it a really good product for us.

    The biggest return on investment from using Cisco Duo is primarily for security. The investment enhances our overall security posture across the company, especially since we handle sensitive information on the Indian reservation. Cisco Duo represents a critical investment for our security needs.

    What needs improvement?

    I think Cisco Duo could improve the dashboard to make logging in and credential management more visible. I have noticed that when you are offline, you can log in straight without using Cisco Duo, while online it requires Duo, which some users may exploit, allowing for logins without an internet connection.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working in my area of expertise overall for about twelve years, with ten years on the network side and two years in cybersecurity.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability and reliability of Cisco Duo as a product are very good. I really like it and consider it among my favorites. I actively advocate for its use across our company for all end-users on their devices, not just for VPN access.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Cisco Duo's scaling abilities feel adequate. When we needed to expand the number of users, it was not complicated or hard for us at all.

    How are customer service and support?

    I have not had much experience with Cisco Duo's customer service and technical support, though I did encounter challenges when I lost my phone. I managed to resolve my issues by following steps on Cisco's site, but I think I would be fine reaching out if needed.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    Cisco Duo is indeed the first solution of its kind at our company.

    How was the initial setup?

    The deployment experience of Cisco Duo is straightforward. It is pretty easy, especially when considering the end-users.

    The deployment of Cisco Duo is indeed straightforward. The only complication arises when a user loses their phone, which requires extra effort to recover configurations. However, I recognize there are backup features that could help, but I have not explored those yet.

    What was our ROI?

    The biggest return on investment from using Cisco Duo is primarily for security. The investment enhances our overall security posture across the company, especially since we handle sensitive information on the Indian reservation. Cisco Duo represents a critical investment for our security needs.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    My experience with Cisco Duo's pricing, setup cost, and licensing is limited as I am not involved in that side. I believe we have around three thousand users and think it is affordable, especially if it is a good product.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    I choose Cisco Security because it offers a variety of features that I find beneficial. We use many Cisco products for security, such as ICE, Secure Endpoint, and firewalls, which help us monitor and secure against outsiders and unsecure impacts from applications.

    What other advice do I have?

    We have been using Cisco Duo for about three years now, but it is longer than that before we kind of implement everything and make it work for everybody. It is still a work in progress for us right now.

    Looking back, the biggest impact Cisco Duo has had on our company is enhancing our security posture. While there were initial concerns about the additional login steps, the importance of Cisco Duo for security is now more evident, particularly as we utilize it mainly for VPN access right now, while gradually moving towards supporting any end-user devices within our community.

    When we first evaluated Cisco Duo, we were primarily looking for a multi-factor authentication solution, but we are also exploring other features that Cisco Duo can offer within the company. I think it is a good product, though we are not using it to its full value yet.

    Regarding our company's adoption of AI agents, we are not really implementing much on the AI side yet. I know we are working on ensuring that the AI features are secure, but I do not think we have touched much on Cisco Duo within the AI context, which is something we can look into.

    For phishing attacks, we have our email filter, which is not directly related to Cisco Duo, but that is the route we have right now. With Duo, it is just for them to log in, while we focus on more of the email filter for phishing attacks.

    I have been mainly concerned about email phishing or credential-based attacks, as many people are not really aware or computer literate enough to know which emails will affect them or which emails are useful. They tend to click whatever they want, which then leads to issues. With Cisco Duo, the impact is knowing that it is them logging in instead of somebody else.

    Overall, I think Cisco Duo is a good product, and I hope that everyone looks into improving security measures, whether for companies or personal use. I would rate this review ten out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    Last updated: Jun 2, 2026
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    Fawaz Sidheek - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT Manager at Integrated Dawiyat
    Real User
    Top 5
    Feb 11, 2026
    Mfa has strengthened compliance and reduced authentication costs for internal and external access
    Pros and Cons
    • "Cisco Duo has helped my organization reduce its overall authentication-related costs."
    • "I evaluate the stability and reliability of the solution as somewhat tricky. Cisco Duo Access Gateway is mostly VM-based, and while I'm not sure whether there is an on-premises hardware-based solution, having this VM-based solution can be buggy."

    What is our primary use case?

    Our company's use case is that we are a service provider, basically a wholesale provider for the internet and the data we have. We have internal users as well as external service providers who want to connect to our company, and they use MFA from Cisco Duo.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable feature of Cisco Duo is the MFA itself, and the integration is pretty straightforward. The documentation is good.

    Cisco Duo helps improve a company through security, and we have the regulatory compliances we have to meet by having Cisco Duo's MFA enabled. With Cisco Duo, we get that checkbox filled.

    What needs improvement?

    More documentation on how to integrate all the external applications would be beneficial for Cisco Duo. We have lots of third-party applications, especially our in-house applications, and additional documentation on how to integrate those applications for MFA using Cisco Duo would be helpful.

    I evaluate the stability and reliability of the solution as somewhat tricky. Cisco Duo Access Gateway is mostly VM-based, and while I'm not sure whether there is an on-premises hardware-based solution, having this VM-based solution can be buggy. There are a lot of issues, and when something goes down or if there is an issue in the network, the whole solution goes down, affecting the whole company because the MFA is tied to login for an administrator and to login for a user. This needs to be improved; the solution, which includes the gateways and proxies connecting to it, needs to be more reliable.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Cisco Duo for around five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I evaluate the stability and reliability of the solution as somewhat tricky. Cisco Duo Access Gateway is mostly VM-based, and while I'm not sure whether there is an on-premises hardware-based solution, having this VM-based solution can be buggy. There are a lot of issues, and when something goes down or if there is an issue in the network, the whole solution goes down, affecting the whole company because the MFA is tied to login for an administrator and to login for a user.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution scales for us.

    Scalability-wise, resources for the VM are mostly what is required, and we have them in-house. For the licenses, that aspect is covered with support.

    How are customer service and support?

    I have used support for Cisco Duo.

    I evaluate Cisco's support as very good. We have the highest level of support, including a tech specialized support team dedicated to our account. We have weekly and monthly meetings where they advise us on what to do, how to proceed with upgrades, or any enhancements.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Negative

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    When we went for an MFA, we were focused on Cisco Duo, and the way it functioned seamlessly integrated with our security policies. We did not evaluate others.

    How was the initial setup?

    My experience with the pricing, setup costs, or licensing for Cisco Duo is straightforward. We've had good interaction with the Duo team, and they always advise us. We have the highest level of support, so they come back to us with what is the recommended licensing, expiry, renewals, and pricing.

    What was our ROI?

    Cisco Duo has helped my organization reduce its overall authentication-related costs. The solution is pretty concise, not having a lot of tools or integration points like other providers.

    When I look at the solution compared to other vendors, Cisco Duo is a one-stop shop for the whole MFA, so percentage-wise, I would say it's about 50%.

    This 50% savings is over the five years.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    Evaluating the delivered cost, I find the choice to go with Cisco Duo is good. There were not many options available in the market. We had Cisco Duo, and we just appreciated the way it's delivered. It's functionally doing the MFA, and we went for it.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    When we went for an MFA, we were focused on Cisco Duo, and the way it functioned seamlessly integrated with our security policies. We did not evaluate others.

    What other advice do I have?

    I am not currently using Cisco Identity Intelligence.

    I have not noticed an increase in phishing attacks in my organization recently.

    I have not implemented Cisco Duo's end-to-end phishing resistance.

    We manage user identities through our own Active Directory internally, not through Cisco Duo Directory.

    Cisco Duo integrates with other products well; I've not had an issue, except for the custom-based applications where we faced a lot of challenges. We had to work with the Cisco Duo team to integrate our service provider applications, OSS/BSS.

    My overall review rating for Cisco Duo is 8.

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    Last updated: Feb 11, 2026
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    reviewer2802273 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Junior Information Technology Consultant Security at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Top 5
    Feb 11, 2026
    Security has improved as I control access, reduce shadow accounts, and cut unused apps
    Pros and Cons
    • "With Cisco Duo it's checking if you are allowed to submit a request to access this, doing a complete check of you before you access, instead of being just a simple MFA that only asks if you can go in or not."
    • "The experience of the deployment with Cisco Duo is pretty rough."

    What is our primary use case?

    The main use cases for Cisco Duo are for people who don't have a multi-factor authenticator. This is concerning because when you work in IT, you assume you are talking to technical people. Sometimes they are a director of the IT department, and when I ask them, "What do you have for an MFA?" they respond, "We don't." So I say, "Okay, let's talk about Cisco Duo and how you can implement it in order to secure your organization." That's the main case.

    We place Cisco Duo Identity Intelligence with the customers against Shadow IT because sometimes we have the feeling that the customers have a lot of platforms. They have thousands of accounts they are using. In general, customers are using around 100 SaaS applications in a company, and sometimes they don't really know what they have. Sometimes, some workers are not there anymore, and it's possible that they can lose track of who is still in the company and who is not. That's why with Cisco Duo Identity Intelligence, I am able to provide a complete overview of what they have. Now they can check who is still using the system. It's good against Shadow IT, but it's also good if you are paying for an app and you don't use it anymore. You can cancel the subscription and get some money back.

    What is most valuable?

    What is good with Cisco Duo is I have to explain that it's not just an MFA because some customers already have an MFA in place. I can talk about other products from Microsoft or any other product, and they say, "We already have an MFA." So I have to explain to them that Cisco Duo is not just an MFA. With an MFA, you want to access something, and the MFA is going to check if you can enter, yes or no. It's not going to check your background or what you have. Cisco Duo is a pre-MFA and post-MFA. With Cisco Duo it's checking if you are allowed to submit a request to access this. If your company is just working with Windows and you are trying to access with a Mac, Cisco Duo is going to be able to say, "Why are you working with a Mac? It's not allowed," so you're not going to have a request. Or if you are, for example, working in Germany and you only have workers in Germany, and suddenly your IP address is in Spain, then I can explain to the customer, "Okay." The customer might say, "Okay, I have a request from Spain, but we don't have people working in Spain, even remotely. So we will block it directly." That's the good thing. It's comparable to when you want to go to a nightclub, they ask you if you are 18, but they also check it with your ID card and everything. It's the same with Cisco Duo. They do a complete check of you before you access.

    What needs improvement?

    I have not implemented Cisco Duo's end-to-end phishing-resistant capabilities such as proximity verification.

    I have not deployed Cisco Duo Directory to manage the user identities, not yet, because since a lot of customers already have their own directories, it was not necessary with Cisco Duo. We still talk about it, but it was not necessary as of right now.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Cisco Duo for two years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I would assess the stability and reliability of Cisco Duo as good. I have nothing to say. It's never had downtime, nothing. Cisco Duo cannot see your password. It's just sending the request. At no point in time does it see or save your password. That's also the good thing. And it's working with everything, and it's native on Linux. This means with some other products, I can get Linux to work, but I have to do some tricks. With Cisco Duo, it's already in. So if I have a server with Linux, it's perfect.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I think Cisco Duo is scalable in a growing company and it works well. It's very scalable. I can add users, and as far as I remember, if I cross the line with the users, I will get a notification stating, "You need to upgrade," but it's not blocked. This means it's not that I add one user and now everything is locked. I have a lot of leeway. I can improve, and I will have a notification and still have time to pay more. Regarding the scalability, I just add one new customer, and after I upgrade my license directly from the dashboard as an admin, that's it. There's nothing else to do.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    I had something before Cisco Duo. It was a Windows MFA. I don't know the name. A Windows solution. But once again, the Windows solution is like, "Can you go in, or not? Is it you?" "But where are you? And is it really you?" That's the problem.

    How was the initial setup?

    The experience of the deployment with Cisco Duo is pretty rough. The software itself is good. The software itself is not the problem. The problem with customers is I have to change their habits. There are some people who don't want an MFA on their phone. It's easy for people who have a company phone and people who have a private phone. In some companies, they just have a private phone; they don't have a company phone. Since it's not always GDPR-friendly, with an MFA I can still send some information. Some people don't want to do it. I think it's rough in the sense that I have to educate the customers to use it and install it, because some people don't want to install it. Or if they really don't want an app, I still have the possibility to buy keys or to install a token on a USB key. But the deployment with the software itself is good. It's more about doing the education for the customers.

    What was our ROI?

    I have seen a return on investment with Cisco Duo. The good thing is the MFA is free. I can use it. I have Cisco Duo on my phone for free, so everybody can use and install it, up to 10 users. So it's good. I can start with this. The return on investment is that I present the product, and the customer, even if he doesn't click immediately about the features, after that, he will just log himself into the panel and see, "Oh, there's this. I would like to try this feature." So he will upgrade your service because as soon as he discovers new functionalities and thinks it is cool, then he will buy it. The return on investment is very nice.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    I did not really consider another solution before selecting Cisco Duo.

    What other advice do I have?

    I haven't noticed an increase in phishing attacks lately. We do have some in our company. We saw an improvement. I think it's always the same as before, but now it's more improved. It's comparable to the following scenario: "We are the police and you did access a website you were not supposed to. This is the company headquarters. Please click here in order to report yourself or you will be fired." I think there's been an improvement in creativity. Not in numbers, but in creativity. Before there was, "You've won an iPhone" or "You've won one million. Please click here." Now they cannot do this anymore. You have to improve your creativity to find a new way to trick the customers.

    The pricing for Cisco Duo is really good in the sense that you can try it. There are different packages, and you can choose the one that fits you the most, and you can try it for free for 30 days. So it's a very good catch. And for the price, I think it's worth it. I have not received any bad feedback about the price. I think it's okay.

    We were talking about proximity with Bluetooth for Cisco Duo, but now it's been released, which is good because sometimes attackers use MFA fatigue, which means they will bombard you with push requests for everything. But now you need the device you're using to log in to be connected via Bluetooth next to the device you are also using to log yourself in. So that's good. It was one feature I had the idea for, and now I saw that they are doing it. That's excellent.

    I would rate this review a 9 out of 10.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud

    If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    Last updated: Feb 11, 2026
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    Updated: September 2026
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    Download our free Cisco Duo Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.